Health Sciences

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Medical Assisting

Diploma

If you’ve got a mind for medicine and a heart for healing, our hands-on Medical Assisting Diploma program will help you quickly start your healthcare journey. You can be assured that our Medical Assisting program will give you the necessary skills you need for your career and to sit for the in-demand CMA or RMA certification exams, among others.1 Our program is also accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) at select campuses.2 As a Medical Assisting student, you’ll learn direct patient care and office administrative skills to help you be career-ready in as few as 12 months.3 Employers recognize that our students are professional, confident, patient and well-prepared from day one. 4

Eligible new students enrolled by April 7, 2025, could save up to $4K10 with the Medical Assisting Inspire grant and earn their Diploma for under $11,500.11 Visit the Medical Assisting Inspire Grant page to learn more.

Request Medical Assisting Program Information

  • Institutional and Programmatic Accreditation

    Rasmussen University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Select campuses are accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES).2 Learn more about programmatic accreditation and the ABHES.

  • Get Knowledge Credit®

    The Medical Assisting Diploma program offers up to four $149 self-directed assessments, which allow you to prove that you already know the content of a particular course and don't need to take it.

  • Live Your Skills, Don’t Just Study Them

    You can choose to attend live online and interactive lectures or listen to lectures at a time that’s convenient for you. Online video tutorials are available for every assessment to ensure you are fully prepared to practice hands-on skills and collaborate with other students in your on-campus labs. Gain first-hand experience with injections, blood draws, EKG testing and emergency management. Mock clinicals will help you practice rooming a patient, and virtual simulation labs will help you learn to give direct patient care.

    Not only will you develop specific skills as a medical assistant, but also employer-valued transferable skills, or soft skills, that will help you flourish in any role: critical thinking, digital fluency, information literacy, communication, diversity, equity and inclusion, and ethics and professional responsibility.

  • Industry Certifications

    Our Medical Assisting Diploma program will help you prepare for the Certified Medical Assistant or Registered Medical Assistant certification exams.1 Plus, the fee for the first attempt at each exam is included in the total program cost.5 You may also qualify to register and sit for additional certification exams that can open doors in your career (exam fees not included):6

    • RPT (Registered Phlebotomy Technician) through the American Medical Technologist (AMT)
    • CPT (Certificated Phlebotomy Technician) through the National Healthcareer Association (NHA)
    • CMAA (Certified Medical Administrative Assistant) through the NHA
    • CET (Certified EKG Technician) through the NHA
    • CEHRS (Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist) through the NHA

    Medical Assisting Diploma students can also participate in additional certificate/training courses:

    • ECG (Electrocardiogram) Certificate through the AMT
    • POCT (Point-of-Care Testing), help get reliable testing results for prompt patient treatment, through the AMT
    • Immunization Certification through the AMT

Medical Assisting Student Story

Beckie wasn't sure what she wanted to do with her life, but thanks to the Medical Assisting program at Rasmussen University, she found her opportunity to help people and find a fulfilling career. Select the video to hear Beckie's full story as a student.

"I was given such a wonderful opportunity from Rasmussen to become a medical assistant. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in life...I wanted to make a difference in people's worlds, so I became a medical assistant."

– Beckie W.
Medical Assistant Graduate and Certified Medical Assistant

Medical Assisting Graduate Beckie W

View transcript(Scroll to see full transcript)

Speaker 1:

Hi everybody. My name's Becky. I'm a certified medical assistant at the Moffitt Cancer Center. I was given such a wonderful opportunity by Rasmussen to become a medical assistant. Wasn't even sure what I wanted to do in life. I worked for a big retail giant for 15 years and not getting the personal satisfaction that I was looking for. I wanted to help people and make a difference in, you know, people's world. And I just didn't know which way to go by that. So I became a medical assistant, clearly having no idea what I was doing. But now, five years later, here I am—a medical assistant, helping people, touching lives, one patient at a time. It just brings me such joy and happiness, and we get to be on their journey with them as they fight their way battling cancer. And it just, it's amazing to be a part of their journey. And at Rasmussen, makes it so much easier for you to become a medical assistant, to having organized classes, the one-on-one structure, the field trips that you get to take to see different places where you can really touch a life and touch a patient's life. I wish each one of you a wonderful journey on your new career. Good luck to each and every one of you. And medical assisting is the way to go!

Medical Assisting Credentials Offered

Medical Assisting

Diploma

Finish in as few as

12 months3

Learning includes

  • On-Campus and Online Classes
  • Field Experience

Intended for

Students looking to pursue a fulfilling career in medical assisting with well-rounded knowledge about the field. Also ideal for students interested in the opportunity to advance their education with a Healthcare or Health Sciences Associate's degree with a specialization in Medical Assisting.

Prepares you for

Medical assistant, medical office administrative assistant

View Credential Details

Not Sure If the Medical Assistant Diploma Is Right for You?

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  • Financial Aid (for those who qualify)
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  • Detailed Program Plans

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School of Health Sciences Blog

What Does a Medical Assistant Do?

Take a look at four important realms of healthcare—hospital, clinical, private practice and ambulatory—in which medical assistants play a vital role to see if this career could be the right path for you.

Read more
Illustration of medical assistant walking through a clinic.

Turn Your Medical Assisting Education Into a Career

We’ve made advancing your education even easier by offering our Medical Assisting Diploma program online and on campus to fit your busy working schedule and give you the skills for a future career.7 Opportunities to use in-demand digital tools in online courses and virtual simulation labs will help you support front and back office operations. You'll gain experience with electronic health records (EHR), EKG programs, ultrasound software, blood pressure and more to be a valuable asset in a variety of healthcare workplaces.

When you’re ready to further your education, you can seamlessly transfer your Diploma credits toward a Healthcare Associate’s degree specializing in Medical Assisting, or a Health Sciences degree if you live in Illinois, which you can earn in as few as nine months.3 In fact, 23% of Medical Assistant grads continued on for additional education at Rasmussen University.8

Here is an overview of your potential career field with a Medical Assisting diploma.

Medical Assistants

  • BLS Projected Growth 2023–2033: 9

    15%

  • BLS Typical Entry-Level Education:

    • Postsecondary Non-Degree Award

Accreditation

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)

The Medical Assisting Diploma program at the Aurora/Naperville (with an ABHES approved separate education center in Mokena/Tinley Park), Rockford, and Romeoville/Joliet campuses in Illinois; the Fort Myers, Ocala, Central Pasco, and Tampa/Brandon campuses in Florida; the Green Bay campus in Wisconsin; and the Bloomington, Eagan, Hennepin/Anoka and Mankato campuses in Minnesota are accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education School (ABHES).

Additional accreditation details

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES) logo

Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 730
North Bethesda, MD 20852
301-291-7550

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  1. Graduates of our programmatically-accredited programs can sit for the CMA or RMA exam; graduates of our non-programmatically-accredited programs can sit for the RMA exam. Visit the accreditation page for full details regarding programmatic accreditation.

  2. The Medical Assisting Diploma program at the Aurora/Naperville (with an ABHES approved separate education center in Mokena/Tinley Park), Rockford, and Romeoville/Joliet campuses in Illinois; the Fort Myers, Ocala, Central Pasco, and Tampa/Brandon campuses in Florida; the Green Bay campus in Wisconsin; and the Bloomington, Eagan, Hennepin/Anoka and Mankato campuses in Minnesota are accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education School (ABHES).

    Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools (ABHES)
    6116 Executive Blvd., Suite 730
    North Bethesda, MD 20852
    301-291-7550

    Additional accreditation details >

  3. Completion time is dependent on transfer credits accepted and the number of courses completed each term.
  4. Employer surveys collected starting in 2017 through 2020 from employers of Rasmussen University Medical Assisting Diploma graduates.
  5. The application fee for each qualified student’s first exam attempt is included in the total program costs. Should you need to take the exam more than once to receive a passing score, you will be responsible for all subsequent exam application fees. Contact an admissions advisor to determine the best exam option for you.
  6. Certification guidelines and qualifications may vary depending on the state.
  7. Our online/on-campus hybrid learning experience is practiced at our campuses in New Port Richey/West Pasco, Ocala, Tampa/Brand, FL; Aurora/Naperville, Rockford, Romeoville/Joliet, IL; Bloomington, Eagan, Mankato, St. Cloud, MN; and Green Bay and Wausau, WI.
  8. 2020Q1 Laddering Analysis, collected January 2020.

  9. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Assistants Specialists at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/medical-assistants.htm (visited November 26, 2024). Employment conditions in your area may vary.

  10. Students who enroll in the Rasmussen University Medical Assisting Diploma program and begin their program on or after May 10, 2023, and prior to April 7, 2025, may be eligible for the following toward their degree at Rasmussen University:

    • A grant worth up to $4,000 to be equally divided quarterly throughout an eligible student’s first four (4) quarters in the Medical Assisting Diploma program.
      • Students will be billed at the standard tuition rate plus applicable fees before the grant is applied. Student is responsible for all applicable book fees.
      • The maximum amount of the Grant is $1,000 per quarter, up to $4,000 total.
      • Eligibility will be verified by the Admissions/Financial Aid Office before the grant is awarded.

    Additional Terms and Conditions:

    • Student must maintain continuous enrollment to remain eligible. A student who withdraws and re-enrolls may no longer be eligible for the grant.  Students who previously received the Medical Assisting Inspire Grant are not eligible for the Medical Assisting Inspire Grant a second time. 
    • All entrance and acceptance requirements for the University must be met.   
    • Grants are non-transferable, and no substitution or cash equivalent/refund is allowed.  
    • Students with tuition rates at or lower than $258 per credit for full-time rates and $334 per credit for part-time rates are not eligible for any grants or scholarships offered by the University with the following exceptions.
      • Students who start the Healthcare Certificate, Medical Assisting Diploma, or Healthcare/Health Sciences Associates with a Medical Assisting Specialization programs on or after May 8, 2024, may be eligible for institutional grants regardless of program or course tuition rate provided they meet all other applicable terms and conditions for the grants.
    • The Medical Assisting Inspire Grant may not be combined with any other grants or scholarships offered through Rasmussen University.  
    • Students who previously received the Alumni Grant, Alumni Achievement Grant, or Medical Assisting Diploma Wellness Grant are not eligible for the Medical Assisting Inspire Grant.  
    • Employees of any APEI Educational Unit, including Rasmussen College, LLC and their family members are not eligible for this grant.  
    • Rasmussen University reserves the right to add, discontinue or amend scholarship and grant programs at its discretion. Any student currently receiving scholarship or grant funds at the time of the amendment will be notified.  
    • Corporate Alliance Grant students remain eligible for the Start Strong Savings (promo code for no cost Self-directed Assessments).
    • Grant value cannot exceed tuition cost.

  11. Estimated program cost breakdown for full or part-time students:

    • $328 per credit x 51 credits = $16,728 + $3,635 total fees = $20,363 estimated full-time or part-time program cost
    • $4,000 Medical Assisting Inspire Grant + $4,896 from Self-Directed Assessments (14 credits x $328 per credit + $780 in course technology + $120 in books - $596 in SDA fees) = $8,896 total saving
    • $20,363 estimated part-time program cost - $8,896 total savings = $11,467 estimated full or part-time program cost